Nebraska TV station purchases Trigger in hopes of starting its own museum

Below:

Gil Perez, right, a doorman at Christie's auction house, wears an outfit and holds a guitar belonging to Roy Rogers as he stands alongside the preserved remains of Rogers' horse "Trigger" and dog "Bullet."

Life magazine cover

Memorabilia related to iconic cowboy actor Roy Rogers are going on Christie's auction block in New York City July 15 and 16, including the stuffed remains of the King of the Cowboys' famed golden palomino Trigger, expected to rein in up to $200,000. The items come from the now-closed Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Mo.

Life magazine featured the King of the Cowboys riding a rearing Trigger on its July 12, 1943 issue. The framed cover also shows one of two Bohlin saddles that will be offered at auction.
(Courtesy of Christie's)
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Roy's first boots

Eagles adorn Roy Rogers' first pair of cowboy boots, which have been bronzed and mounted. They are estimated to bring $3,000 to $4,000.
(Courtesy of Christie's)
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Dale Evans photo

This photo of Dale Evans, who was not only Roy Rogers' wife but a successful singer and songwriter in her own right, is hand-tinted. Framed with leather corners, it has the initials "RR" in one corner.
(Courtesy of Christie's)
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Roy's custom Bonneville

Customized by famed "Rodeo Tailor to the Stars" Nudie Cohn, who designed outfits for everyone from Elvis to ZZ Top, this 1964 Pontiac Bonneville convertible features a hand-tooled leather interior as well as hundreds of genuine silver dollars and chrome-plated guns, many of which function as handles and controls (note six-shooters atop the headlights and in center of horseshoe hood ornament). A 6-foot set of Texas longhorns adorns the front of the car, while the trunk is emblazoned ROY ROGERS. It is estimated to bring $100,000 to $150,000 at auction.
(Courtesy of Christie's)
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Rogers family dining room

This is the round dining table that Roy, Dale and family would gather around for meals. The offering also includes chairs, rug, hanging wheel chandelier, several pictures, a family photo and a dinner bell.
(Getty Images)
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Nellybelle

Along with Roy and Dale, their horses Trigger and Buttermilk, and Roy's dog Bullet, one of the most memorable characters on the Roy Rogers TV show that ran from 1951 through 1957 was inanimate: Nellybelle, a 1946 Willys CJ-2A Jeep. Though Roy owned the vehicle, it was driven in the show by his comic sidekick Pat Brady, who was always trying to coax it into cooperating with him. Nellybelle is expected to bring $20,000 to $30,000.
(Courtesy of Christie's)
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Baseball memorabilia

Roy Rogers owned a collection of baseball memorabilia as well as Western mementos. On auction are a Gaylord Perry Hall of Famer ball inscribed to Rogers by Perry, with trading card; a Billy Williams Hall of Fame Cubs ball, also inscribed with trading card; a Chuck Knoblauch 1991 American League Rookie of the Year autographed ball and trading card; and a Jack Morris 1991 World Series Most Valuable Player autographed ball and trading card.
(Getty Images)
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Buttermilk

Dale Evans' horse, Buttermilk, was originally an abused animal rescued on his way to the slaughterhouse by a cattle farmer. Treated with love, the rescued quarter horse acquired a sunny disposition and was named Soda before being sold to Dale Evans, who renamed him Buttermilk after the old song "Ole Buttermilk Sky." Buttermilk could actually outrun Trigger, and when he died at age 31, he was stuffed and put on display in the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum along with Trigger and Bullet (in foreground).
(Courtesy of Christie's)
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Bullet

Bullet, Roy Rogers' German shepherd, made his debut in "Spoilers of the Plains" in 1951, billed as "the wonder dog." Bullet was also a regular on TV's "Roy Rogers Show" in the 1950s and '60s. Bullet was the dog's real name, and he really was Roy Rogers' and Dale Evans' family pet. His stuffed remains are estimated to bring $10,000 to $15,000.
(Getty Images)
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Photographs

This color photo of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans is one of three in an offering expected to bring $200 to $300. The others are a black-and-white photo of Rogers performing, and a black-and-white shot of his comical sidekicks George "Gabby" Hayes and Pat Brady.
(Courtesy of Christie's)
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Trigger

The "Smartest Horse in the Movies," Trigger could do 100 stunts, including untying ropes and shooting a gun. Originally named Golden Cloud, the golden palomino had already appeared in such movies as "The Adventures of Robin Hood" when Roy Rogers bought him for $2,500 after riding him just 100 yards. Rogers never used reins, spurs or a whip to guide Trigger through countless films, TV episodes and personal appearances; just a touch and a pat. When Trigger died in 1965 one day short of age 31, Rogers couldn't bear to "put him in the ground" and had him mounted in a rearing postion and put on display.
(Courtesy of Christie's)
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"Happy Trails to You"

The theme song for Roy Rogers' and Dale Evans' radio show in the 1940s and their television show in the 1950s, "Happy Trails" was sung as a duet by the two stars and released as a record in 1952. Dale Evans composed the song, shown here hand-drawn and mounted on foam-core board.
(Courtesy of Christie's)
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Saddle on Trigger Jr.

This special custom parade saddle ordered from the shop of Edward H. Bohlin around 1949 was used on both Trigger and Trigger Jr. Mounted in engraved sterling silver and adorned with solid-gold figures of cowboys performing rodeo stunts, it was Roy Rogers' last and most ornate saddle. It is expected to bring $100,000 to $150,000 at auction.
(Courtesy of Christie's)
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Early married life of Roy and Dale

Shown is one of a collection of black-and-white photographs depicting the marriage of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, who were wed on New Year's Eve 1947 at the Flying L Ranch in Davis, Oklahoma, where they had filmed the western "Home in Oklahoma" earlier that year. Some of the images include Roy "Dusty" Rogers Jr., Rogers' son from his first marriage.
(Courtesy of Christie's)
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Video: Roy Rogers memorabilia hits the block

Transcript of: Roy Rogers memorabilia hits the block

MATT LAUER, co-host:We are back at 8:45 with a taste of the
Wild West
right here in
Manhattan
. Starting tomorrow,
Christie's
is auctioning off items once owned by the
King of the Cowboys
and the
Queen of the West
,
Roy Rogers
and
Dale Evans
.
Al
is just down the block at the auction house with a preview.
Al
:

Mr. ROGERS:Well, we're not really letting it go, we're passing history on to other people.
Mom and Dad
kept it for 42 years.
Dad
said when it gets to the point where it's causing you kids a problem just, you know, move it out, so that's what we're doing. And
Mom and Dad
left us a lot of legacies, the museum and their things were one,
music
was the next and their books, and we're still able to continue that
music
in
Branson
...

ROKER:Mm-hmm.

Mr. ROGERS:...with my band the
High Riders
at the
Gilley Theatre
, but these things have to go out into the public.

ROKER:So let's take a look at some of this. And you designed this.

Mr. ROGERS:I did.

ROKER:This is the
Shooting Gallery
.

Mr. ROGERS:Yeah. We had it made in
England
and shipped over here. I designed it, you know, because I thought I had to have all the elements with
Gabby
and
Pat
, which was
Dad
's other sidekick for years.

ROKER:Sure.

Mr. ROGERS:And the fellow behind the bars and the one behind the window, the bad guys...

ROKER:Mm-hmm.

Mr. ROGERS:...you know, you got to have the bad guys.

ROKER:Of
course
.

Mr. ROGERS:But it's a very active gun...

ROKER:A little gun -- a little gunplay.

Mr. ROGERS:Everybody wants to play guns.

ROKER:Now as far -- as we take a look up here, this -- besides
Trigger
and
Buttermilk
and
Bullet
being the centerpiece of this exhibit and this auction, this
Bonneville
designed by
Nudie
, the guy who did all your...

Mr. ROGERS:Yes.

ROKER:...your folks' costumes.

Mr. ROGERS:He made all of the -- yeah -- all of the outfits for
Mom and Dad
, all the rhinestones.

ROKER:And this -- tell me about this car. This is unbelievable.

Mr. ROGERS:It's a -- it's a '63
Bonneville Pontiac
and completely done with all leather interior.

ROKER:Mm-hmm.

Mr. ROGERS:There's like 20 different guns on here, there's over 300 silver dollars. And every handle or knob or door handle is a gun, so.

ROKER:And there are some -- there are some famous names on -- signed on the back of this thing.

Mr. ROGERS:Elvis Presley
, yeah, and
John Wayne
and
Jim Davis
, Governor
Jim Davis
, and
Mom and Dad
signed it, and so a lot of great names.

Mr. ROGERS:He used to hunt with it, yeah. Hey, I've seen him with bobcats on the hood of it, so.

ROKER:Oh, my gosh.

Mr. ROGERS:Yeah.

ROKER:And of
course
a cowboy is known for his boots.

Mr. ROGERS:Absolutely. Yeah. This was his very first pair, you know, and you got to have your baby shoes bronzed, so
Dad
was no different, he had to have his first boots bronzed, so.

ROKER:And he -- and he worked on all of his boots himself.

Mr. ROGERS:He did. Because he was -- he -- his first job was at the
United States Shoe Company
in
Cincinnati
, that's what his first job was.

ROKER:Wow.

Mr. ROGERS:So he knew how to build boots
from the ground up
.

ROKER:That is fascinating. As we head on into here, you know, one of the things that your folks were known for, their costumes.

Mr. ROGERS:Yes.

ROKER:I mean, they had some amazing costumes.

Mr. ROGERS:Yeah.
And I
think a lot of that had to do with coming to
Madison Square Garden
because the kids couldn't see them in the middle of the arena so they started putting rhinestones on things...

ROKER:Mm-hmm.

Mr. ROGERS:...and made them pop out in the middle of the arena.

ROKER:OK, we would see them in public in this, but when...

Mr. ROGERS:Yes.

ROKER:...when you were home with them, what would they wear?

Mr. ROGERS:Oh,
Dad
was usually in a pair of jeans, an old -- an old striped shirt and sneakers.
That's what
he did. That was
Dad
at home, but...

ROKER:Tell me about your mom.

Mr. ROGERS:Mom Dale
, I'll tell you, she had her hands full with nine children, you know, they adopted four and had one
foster child
.

ROKER:Mm-hmm.

Mr. ROGERS:And then they had the children between
the two of them
, and how they survived nine children. I mean, she was the greatest Christian lady you'd ever want to meet.

ROKER:Tell me about this piece here.

Mr. ROGERS:Very special piece to mom. It's a -- it's a charm bracelet that
Ralph Edwards
and "This is
Your Life
" gave to Mom in
1952
...

ROKER:Mm-hmm.

Mr. ROGERS:...when they -- when they surprised
Dad
with that -- with that show. It has -- it completely chronicles
Roy
and
Dale
's life from the time that
Dad
was in
Duck Run
, Mom was in
Texas
, and then it chronicles their life all through in charms that actually work and...

ROKER:Wow, that's...

Mr. ROGERS:...it's made right here in
New York
.

ROKER:It's beautiful.

Mr. ROGERS:Yeah.

ROKER:And of
course
, the
music
collection here of instruments.

Mr. ROGERS:Guitars.

ROKER:Your dad was -- had a beautiful voice.

Mr. ROGERS:Oh, absolutely. Well, he started as a
Sons of the Pioneers1934
, and of
course
they went on and just --
Dad
signed his first contract '38 and went on to be
King of the Cowboys
.

ROKER:Well, it's a -- it's a piece of
Americana
.

Mr. ROGERS:It is.

ROKER:We don't have the cowboys to idolize anymore.

Mr. ROGERS:Not the same heroes we had.

ROKER:Yeah.

Mr. ROGERS:No.

ROKER:Well,
Roy Rogers
Jr.

Mr. ROGERS:Al
, thank you, sir.

ROKER:Thank you so much
. People want more information, go to our
Web site
, todayshow.com, to find out about the
Roy Rogers
and
Dale Evans
collection that's being auctioned off at
Christie's
.
Matt
: